Meter sealing device



Nov. 6, 1934.

H. A. BAKKE METER SEALING DEVICE Filed 001:. 13.. 1933 m m e V .m

Hans Afiakke,

a4 amw H Attorngg.

Eli

Patented Nov. 6,. 11934 t MIETER SEG DEVICE Hans Al. Bakke, Swampscott, Mass, assignor to General Electric Company, a. corporation of New York Application @ctober 13, 1933, Serial No. 693,528

6 Claims.

My invention relates to casings for meters and other apparatus and concerns particularly casing arrangements for preventing unauthorized persons from interfering with the operation of apparatus to be protected.

It is an object of my invention to provide a simplified, inexpensive easily manufactured arrangement for sealing meters, instruments, and other apparatus.

It is another object of my invention to provide an arrangement for sealing an electrical device independently of its terminal chamber.

It is still another object of my invention to provide an arrangement whereby a single seal serves to seal both the terminal chamber and the electrical device itself.

' Other and further objects of my invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

Although my invention is not limited to use with electrical meters it is particularly well adapted to such use and will be described in connection with electrical meters. In accordance with my invention in its preferred form, a casing is utilized having a base portion with separate chambers, one for mounting the meter itself and another for the terminals. A cover is provided for each chamber. The meter cover, which is preferably circular in section, is attached tothe base by means of a bayonet look so that the meter cover may be attached and removed by twisting movement. The terminal chamber is provided with a cover which may be attached to the base at one end by sliding movement. Both the meter cover and the terminal cover are provided with means which engage a sliding member which serves to lock the meter cover and the terminal cover when the sliding member is in its locking position.

The sliding member is provided with an arm having a slot which cooperates with a lug in the base of the casing to permit locking the meter cover in position independently of the terminal cover. The sliding member is also provided with a transversely extending lug which cooperates with a slot in the otherwise unsecured end of the terminal cover so that a seal may be inserted in this lug to prevent the removal of the terminal cover or the retraction of the sliding member so that both covers may be locked by a single seal.

The features of my invention which I believe to be novel and patentable will be pointed out in the claims appended hereto. A better understanding of my invention itself however may be obtained by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanyin drawing in which Figure 1 represents in perspective one embodiment of my invention with a portion of the meter cover broken-away and the terminal cover detached from the casing for clearness. Fig. 2 represents a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 1 with the parts in the unlocked position. Fig. 3 corresponds to the arrangement of Fig. 2 with the parts in the locked position and the seal in place. Fig. 4. is a front elevation of a portion of the apparatus illustrating the construction of to the locking means.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing in which like parts are designated by like reference characters throughout, the meter casing illustrated in the drawing comprises a base porto tion 11 having a chamber in the upper portion 12 thereof to receive an electrical meter mechanism or other similar device' and a terminal chamber 13 in the lower portion thereof to receive terminals for making connection between the 5 circuits of the meter mechanism and the permanent wiring of an electrical system (not shown). The meter chamber is closed by means of a meter cover 14 which may, if desired, be composed of a transparent cup-shaped portion 15 and a collar ldunited thereto. Means are provided for removably attaching the cover 14 to the base 11. The meter cover 14 which is preferably circular is provided with hook-shaped members 17 cooperating with suitably shaped slots 18 in the base 11 to permit securing the cover 14 to the base 11 by rotary or twisting motion in a given direction. The connection is similar to a bayonet lock and permits the cover 14 to be removed from the base 11 only by rotating the cover 14 in the on reverse direction. Although only one hookshaped member 17 and cooperating slot 18 are visible in the drawing it will be understood that preferably a plurality of such connecting means are provided around the periphery of the cover 14. Preferably the collar 16 overhangs the circular portion 12 of the base 11 to form a closely fitting flange which prevents the insertion of tools into the meter chamber to interfere with the meter operation.

The cover 14 is provided with a projection 19, which may if desired be formed in the collar 16, to cooperate with the nose 20 of a sliding locking. member 21. The sliding member 21 is slidably m5 supported on the base 11 by means of a pair of rivets 22 cooperating with a slot 23 in the sliding member 21. The position of the rivets 22 and the length of slot 23 are such that the sliding member 21 may be moved between an unlocked 11 position as in Figures 2 and. 4 and a locking position as in Figures 1 and 3.

The sliding member 21 is bent at the end away from nose 20 to form a transverse arm 24 having a slot 25 cooperating with a lug 26 attached to the base 11 in such a manner that when the sliding member 21 is moved to the locking position, the lug 26 projects through the slot 25 in the sliding member 21 permitting the insertion of a sealing wire 27, the ends of which may be joined by suitable device such as a lead seal 28. Obviously the .presence of the nose 20 and the projection 19 prevents rotation of the cover 14 in the unlocking direction and removal of the cover when the sliding member 21 is in its locking position. It will be understood, however, that my invention is not limited to this precise arrangement for causing engagement of a locking member and a meter cover. With the sliding member 21 in the locking position and the sealing wire 27 in place, the meter mechanism may be sealed independently of the meter terminals, as illustrated in Fig. 1, to prevent tampering with the meter mechanism after it has been adjusted without interfering with the installation and connection or test of the meter by a meter installer who is thus permitted to'have access to the terminals 29 in the terminal chamber 13.

The terminal chamber 13 is provided with a cover 30 of a type already known having a slot 31 adjacent an upset portion 31 cooperating with a headed stud 32 attached to base 11 near the end of the terminal chamber 13. The left hand end of the terminal cover 30 may be secured to base 11 in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art by dropping the upset portion 31' over the head of the stud 32 and sliding the terminal cover 30 to the right, bringing the sides of the slot 31 under the head of the stud 32. The other end of the terminal cover 30 is provided with a slot 33 cooperating with a lug 34 extending transversely from the arm 24 of the sliding member 21. The parts are so dimensioned that the terminal cover 30 can be dropped in position with the lug 34 projecting through the slot 33 only when the sliding member 21 is moved to the left to its locking position and the terminal cover 30 is in its extreme right hand position with the slot 31 locked under the head of the stud 32. A sealing wire 35 may then be inserted in the lug 34 or if desired through both lugs 34 and 26. However, even if the seal 35 is inserted in lug 34 only, the removal of the terminal cover 30 is prevented and likewise the retraction of the sliding member 21 is also prevented, so that the meter cover 14 cannot be rotated in the unlocking direction and both the meter mechanism and the terminal chamber are locked by the single seal 35 in the Inc 34.

While I have described my invention as embodied in concrete form and as operating in a specific manner in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, it should be understood that I do not limit my invention thereto since various modifications thereof will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is,-

1. A meter casing having abase portion provided with meter and terminal chambers, covers for said chambers, means for securing the cover for said meter chamber to said base portion by a twisting movement in a given direction, means for securing the cover for said terminal cham-' ber at one end to said base portion by a sliding movement in a given direction, said meter cover having a projection at the edge thereof, a member slidably supported by said base portion to permit sliding movement between locking and unlocking positions, said member having a nose at one end engaging the projection on said meter cover when said cover and slidable member are in their locked positions and preventing twisting of said cover in the unlocking direction, said member having a slotted arm at the end away from said nose lying along one end of said terminal chamber when said slidable member is in its locking position, said base portion having a lug adapted to project through the slot in said arm when said slidable member is in its locking position and adapted to receive sealing means to prevent retraction of said slidable member from its locking position to lock said meter cover, independently of said terminal cover, said slidable member having a lug projecting sidewardly from said arm, said terminal cover having a slot therein at the end away from said previously mentioned securing means to permit said slotted end to be dropped in place with the lug of said slidable member through said slot, thereby preventing sliding movement of said slidable member and said terminal cover in the unlocking directions, said latter mentioned lug being adapted to receive sealingmeans for preventing removal of said terminal cover and serving to lock both said terminal cover and said meter cover to said base portion of the meter casing.

2. A meter casing having a base portion provided with meter and terminal chambers, covers for said chambers, means for securing the cover for said meter chamber to said base portion by a twisting movement in a given direction, means for securing the cover for said terminal chamber at one end to said base portion by a sliding movement in a given direction, said meter cover having a projection at the edge thereof, a member slidably supported by said base portion to permit sliding movement between an unlocked and a locking position, said member having a nose atone end engaging the projection on said meter cover when said cover and slidable member are in their locked positions, and preventing twisting of said cover in the unlocking direction, said slidable member having a lug projecting sidewardly, said terminal cover having a slot therein at the end away from said previously mentioned securing means to permit said slotted end to be dropped in place with the lug of said slidable member projecting through said slot, thereby preventing sliding movement of said slidable member and said terminal cover in the unlocking directions, said lug being adapted to receive sealing means for preventing removal of said terminal cover and serving to lock said terminal cover and said meter cover to said base portion of the meter casing.

3. A meter casing having a base portion, a cover therefor having a projection at the edge thereof, means for securing said cover to said base portion by a twisting movement in a given direction, a member slidably supported by said base portion to permit sliding movement between an unlocked and a locking position, said member having a nose at one end engaging the projection on said meter cover in its secured position when said ovaoae having a lug adapted to project through the slot in said arm when said slidable member is in its locking position and adapted to receive sealing means to prevent retraction of said slidable member from its locking position.

4. A meter casing having a base portion provided with meter and terminal chambers, a cover fpr said meter chamber adapted to be secured to said base portion by a twisting movement in a given directionand having a projection at its edge, a cover for said terminal chamber adapted to be secured at one end to said base portion by a sliding movement in a given direction and having a slot at its other end, and a member movable between unlocked and locking positions adapted when in its locking position to engage the projection of said meter cover in its secured position and preventing twisting thereof in the unlocking direction and having a lug adapted to for said meter chamber adapted to be secured to said base portion by a twisting movement in a given direction, a cover for said terminal chamber adapted to be secured to said base portion by movement in a given direction, and a single locking member movable to a locking position, adapted when in such position to engage both, of said covers preventing movement thereof in unlocking directionsand adapted to receive sealing means preventing movement of said member from its locking position.

6. A meter casing comprising a base portion and a cover therefor having a projection thereon and adapted to be secured to said base portion by a twisting movement in a given direction, a member slidably supported by said base portion to permit sliding movement between an unlocked and a. locking position, said member being adapted to engage the projection on said meter cover in its secured position when said sliding member is in its locking position to prevent twisting of said cover in the unlocking direction, said member having a slotted arm and said base portion having a lug adapted to project through the slot in said arm when said slidable member is in its locking position, and also adapted to receive sealing means to prevent retraction of said slidable member from its locking position thereby locking said meter cover to said base portion.

HANS A. BAKKE. 

